Psalm 66

¹Shout with joy to God, all the earth!
²Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious!
³Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.
⁴All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name." Selah
⁵Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf!
⁶ He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot—come, let us rejoice in him.
⁷He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations—let not the rebellious rise up against him. Selah
⁸ Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard;
⁹ he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.
¹⁰For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.
¹¹You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.
¹²You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.
¹³I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you-
¹⁴vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.
¹⁵I will sacrifice fat animals to you and an offering of rams; I will offer bulls and goats. Selah
¹⁶Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.
¹⁷I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue.
¹⁸If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;
¹⁹but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.
²⁰Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

In verse one, who does David call to praise God with shouts?

Read verse 4. Can you imagine the whole earth bowing to the Lord? Think of the most magnificent and grand aspect of nature that you have ever seen. Now, imagine that place or object bowing low to the God of its creation and sustainment.

How many times do you see the word Selah in this psalm? Selah means “stop and consider”. The David is begging you to stop and wrap your mind around these powerful claims of earthly praise!

In verse 16, David asks if he can personally tell what the Lord has done in his life.

We see the “bigness” of God in nature beside the “intimacy” of God in the person. Do you comprehend one of these ideas easier? Often, as people, we tend to cling to the idea that brings the most peace or understanding to ourselves. However, it is crucial to not loose sight of any of God’s attributes. Remind yourself right now how God is both powerful and personal.